Thigh portions for garments

ABSTRACT

A garment that includes a body portion and a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user. The garment further includes an optional extended crotch portion formed within a bottom portion of the body portion, and a plurality of thigh portions, integrally combined with or disposed a predetermined distance from, the extended crotch portion. Each thigh portion extends vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the garment and are formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to thigh portions for garments (i.e., articles of clothing), and more particularly to thigh portions for garments whereby the thigh portions minimize kinetic friction and unwanted noise when the garment is worn by a user, thereby improving the comfortableness of the garment.

Typically, garments, e.g., leg wear may include pants, slacks, shorts, tights and hosiery which is knitted coverings for the legs and feet. Thus, the garments are worn on the feet and/or legs. For example, hosiery is worn directly on the feet and legs. Users wear hosiery such as stockings, panty hoses, or tights, for a variety of reasons, such as added protection, increased warmth, and for aesthetic/fashion purposes. The hosiery also includes a crotch portion, to provide additional comfort and support.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a garment is provided. The garment includes a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user and a body portion attached to the plurality of leg portions. The body portion includes a crotch portion. The garment further includes a plurality of thigh portions integrally combined with the leg portions wherein each thigh portion extends vertically along a respective inner thigh area of each leg portion and the thigh portions are formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a garment is provided. The garment includes a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user and a body portion attached to the plurality of leg portions. The garment further includes a plurality of thigh portions attached to the leg portions wherein each thigh portion extends vertically along a respective inner thigh area of each leg portion and the thigh portions are formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a hosiery garment is provided. The hosiery garment includes a body portion and a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user, and a support element. The support element includes an extended crotch portion formed within a bottom portion of the body portion, and a plurality of thigh portions integrally combined with the extended crotch portion. Each thigh portion extends vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment and the support element is formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a hosiery garment is provided. The hosiery garment includes a body portion and a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user and a support element. The support element includes an extended crotch portion and a plurality of thigh portions. Each thigh portion extends vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment, wherein the thigh portions are disposed a predetermined distance away from the extended crotch portion and the support element is formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a hosiery garment is provided. The hosiery garment includes a plurality of detached leg portions. Each leg portion includes a band portion at an upper part of a respective leg portion, and a thigh portion extending vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment. The band portion and the thigh portion are formed of a material different from that of the leg portion.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a hosiery garment is provided. The hosiery garment includes a body portion and a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user, and a support element. The support element includes a plurality of thigh portions integrally combined with or spaced a predetermined distance from a crotch portion of the hosiery garment. Each thigh portion extends vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment, wherein the thigh portions are formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention. For a better understanding of the invention with the advantages and the features, refer to the description and to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The forgoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a front view of a garment that can be implemented within embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a front view of a garment that can be implemented within alternative embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a side view of a thigh portion that can be implemented within embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a front view of hosiery garment that can be implemented within embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a front view of a body portion, extended crotch portion and thigh portions of the hosiery garment of FIG. 1 that can be implemented within embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the thigh portion of the hosiery garment of FIG. 1 that can be implemented within embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a front view of a hosiery garment that can be implemented within alternative embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a front view of a hosiery garment that can be implemented within alternative embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present invention provides a garment (e.g., a pair of pants) having an extended crotch portion and thigh portions to provide added comfort to the user. Referring now to FIG. 1, a garment 10 is provided. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the garment may be made of any type of material suitable for clothing. The garment 10 includes a plurality of leg portions 12 to be worn by a user and a body portion 13 attached to the plurality of leg portions 12. The body portion 13 includes a crotch portion 14. The garment 10 further includes a plurality of thigh portions 15 integrally combined with the leg portions 12 wherein each thigh portion 15 extends vertically along a respective inner thigh area of each leg portion 12 and the thigh portions 15 are formed of a material different from that of the leg portions 12. The thigh portions 15 are not visible on the outside perimeter of the leg portions 12. According to the current embodiment of the present invention, the thigh portions 12 are disposed inside of the garment 10. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the crotch portion 14 may be integrally combined with the thigh portions 15. Optionally, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the crotch portion 14 may be omitted as discussed below with reference to FIG. 2. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the thigh portions 15 may be attached (e.g., sewn) to an inner lining of the garment 10, to provide additional comfort and to eliminate unwanted noise when a user is in motion. Alternatively, the thigh portions 15 may be a separate accessory that may be inserted into the garment and attached to the inner thigh areas of each leg portion 12 using an adhesive material or other suitable combining material. Additional details regarding the same will be discussed below in reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a front view of a garment that can be implemented within alternative embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a side view of a thigh portion that can be implemented within embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a garment 10 is provided including the leg portions 12, and a body portion 13. A plurality of thigh portions 15 are attached to inner thigh areas of the leg portions 12. As mentioned above, the thigh portions 15 may be attached to an inner thigh area of the leg portions 12 using an adhesive material 18 or other combining material such that the thigh portions 15 of the present invention may be integrated into garments to be worn by a user. Thus, the thigh portions 15 may be integrated into other garments belonging to the user. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inner thigh area of the leg portions 12 may also include an adhesive material to accommodate the thigh portions 15.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive material 18 may be some type of glue substance, or Velcro material to attach the thigh portions 15 to the inner thigh area of the leg portions 12. Alternatively, the thigh portions 15 may be joined to the leg portions using a snap mechanism, for example.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the thigh portions 15 may be formed of a material including cotton or a cotton blend, for example, to further provide comfort to the user.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a hosiery garment is provided as in FIG. 4. The hosiery garment 100 may be made of any type of knitted fabric, such as nylon, and its thickness and weight is defined in terms of denier or opacity. Lower denier measurements of approximately 5 to 15 describe the hosiery garment 100 being sheer in appearance, whereas styles of the hosiery garment 100 of approximately 40 and above are dense, with little to no light able to come through (e.g., opaque hosiery).

Further, the hosiery garment 100 may be any type of hosiery without deviating from the scope of the invention. For example, the hosiery garment 100 may be a closed toe or open toe garment. In addition, the hosiery garment 100 may be made by using conventional knitting methods.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the hosiery garment 100 includes a body portion 101 and a plurality of leg portions 102. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the body portion 101 may be formed of microfibers using conventional micromesh techniques to provide improved durability. Further, the body portion 100 may include other elastane fibers for strengthening the hosiery garment 100. For example, without deviating from the scope of the invention, the body portion 100 may include Lycra™ and the leg portions 102 may be nylon, for example. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hosiery garment 100 further includes support element 150 comprising an extended crotch portion 152 within a bottom portion of the body portion 101 and a plurality of thigh portions 154 integrally combined with the extended crotch portion 152. Each thigh portion 154 extends vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment 100. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the support element 150 is formed of a material different from than that of the leg portions 102.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the extended crotch portion 152 and the plurality of thigh portions 154 may be formed of the same material. For example, they may be formed of cotton material or a cotton and Lycra blend. Further, they may be formed of a knitted material having an open mesh stitching to facilitate air flow through the extended crotch portion 152 and the thigh portions 154 and to control moisture.

Alternatively, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the extended crotch portion 152 and the plurality of thigh portions 154 may be formed of different materials. For example, the extended crotch portion may be formed of a thicker material than that of the thigh portions 154 or vice versa. The extended crotch portion 152 and/or the thigh portions 154 may be formed of a stretchable material to further promote comfort and support of the user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a width of the extended crotch portion 152 is equal to a width of thigh portion 154. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a width of the extended crotch portion 152 is less than a width of a thigh portion 154. However, the present invention is not limited to the extended crotch portion 152 or the thigh portions 154 being of a particular size, and may vary accordingly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the extended crotch portion 152 extends from one inner thigh to the other inner thigh when worn by a user, as shown in FIG. 4. Further, according to the current embodiment, the thigh portions 154 may be integrally combined with the extended crotch portion 152, and each extending from the extended crotch portion 152 along an inner thigh 160 of a user stopping above a knee area 162 of the user, as shown in FIG. 6 however the present invention is not limited hereto. According to another embodiment, the extended crotch portion 152 may be omitted and thigh portions 154 may be incorporated into a conventional hosiery garment having a typical crotch portion, for example. The thigh portion 154 may be a predetermined distance d1 and d2 from a front surface and a back surface of the garment. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined distances d1 and d2 may be of a same distance or one predetermined distance d1, d2 may be larger than the other predetermined distance d1, d2. The thigh portion 154 may be a predetermined distance d3 from the knee area 162. According to one embodiment, the predetermined distance d3 is larger than the sum of the predetermined distances d1 and d2.

Alternative embodiments of the present invention will be discussed below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a front view of a hosiery garment that can be implemented within alternative embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, a hosiery garment 200 is provided. The hosiery garment 200 includes a support element 250. The support element 250 of the current embodiment is similar to the support element 150 of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in that it also includes an extended crotch portion 252 and thigh portions 254 extending vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment 200. The thigh portions 254 are disposed a predetermined distance d4 from the extended crotch portion 252, as shown in FIG. 7. For example, the thigh portions 254 may be formed at lower inner thigh portions of the hosiery garment 200. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined distance d4 may range from approximately 1 inch to approximately 4 inches, for example. Further, the support element 250 is formed of a material different from that of the leg portions. For example, the leg portions (elements 102 as depicted in FIG. 4, for example) may be formed of nylon while the support element 250 may be formed of a cotton material.

FIG. 8 illustrates a front view of a hosiery garment that can be implemented within alternative embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the hosiery garment 300 is provided. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hosiery garment includes a plurality of detached leg portions (e.g., a pair of thigh highs). A single thigh high 300 is shown in FIG. 8, for illustration purposes only. The thigh high 300 is typically supported by a suspender belt or a garter belt (not shown) that goes around the waist and drops suspenders that are clipped to the tops of each thigh high 300.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, each thigh high 300 may include a band portion 352 and a thigh portion 354 extending vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the thigh high 300. The thigh portion 354 is a predetermined distance d5 from the band portion 352. The predetermined distance d5 may range from approximately 1 cm to approximately 5 cm, for example. The band portion 352 may be formed of an elastic material for example. The thigh portion 354 may be formed of cotton material or a cotton blend, for example to provide added comfort and eliminate kinetic friction and unwanted noise when the thigh high 300 is worn by a user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the band portion 352 and the thigh portion 354 are formed of a different material than that of the thigh high 300.

Embodiments of the present invention provide garments which may include an extended crotch portion and/or thigh portions to provide added comfort and support and to eliminate kinetic friction and unwanted noise when a user moves or walks while wearing the garment.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated

The flow diagrams depicted herein are just one example. There may be many variations to this diagram or the steps (or operations) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps may be performed in a differing order or steps may be added, deleted or modified. All of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention.

While the preferred embodiment to the invention has been described, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described. 

1. A garment comprising: a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user and a body portion attached to the plurality of leg portions, the body portion includes a crotch portion; a plurality of thigh portions integrally combined with the leg portions wherein each thigh portion extends vertically along an inside of a respective inner thigh area of each leg portion and the thigh portions are formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.
 2. A garment comprising: a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user and a body portion attached to the plurality of leg portions; a plurality of thigh portions attached to the leg portions wherein each thigh portion extends vertically along an inside of a respective inner thigh area of each leg portion and the thigh portions are formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.
 3. The garment of claim 2, wherein the thigh portions are inserted into the garment and attached to the inner thigh area of each leg portion using an adhesive material or other combining material.
 4. A hosiery garment comprising: a body portion and a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user; and a support element comprising: an extended crotch portion formed within a bottom portion of the body portion, and a plurality of thigh portions integrally combined with the extended crotch portion, each thigh portion extending vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment, wherein the support element is formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.
 5. The hosiery garment of claim 4, wherein the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions are formed of a same material.
 6. The hosiery garment of claim 4, wherein the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions are formed of a different material from each other.
 7. The hosiery garment of claim 5, wherein the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions are formed of a cotton material or cotton/Lycra blend material.
 8. The hosiery garment of claim 5, wherein the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions are formed of a knitted material having an open mesh stitching to facilitate air flow through the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions and to control moisture.
 9. The hosiery garment of claim 4, wherein at least one of the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions is formed of a knitted material having an open mesh stitching to facilitate air flow through the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions and to control moisture.
 10. The hosiery garment of claim 4, wherein the plurality of thigh portions are formed of a cotton material or cotton/Lycra blend material.
 11. The hosiery garment of claim 4, wherein the extended crotch is formed of a thicker material than that of the thigh portions.
 12. The hosiery garment of claim 4, wherein the thigh portions are formed of a stretchable material.
 13. The hosiery garment of claim 4, wherein a width of the extended crotch portion is equal to a width of a thigh portion.
 14. The hosiery garment of claim 4, wherein a width of the extended crotch portion is less than a width of a thigh portion.
 15. The hosiery garment of claim 4, wherein the extended crotch portion extends from one inner thigh to another inner thigh when worn by the user.
 16. A hosiery garment comprising: a body portion and a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user; and a support element comprising: an extended crotch portion, and a plurality of thigh portions, each thigh portion extending vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment, wherein the thigh portions are disposed a predetermined distance away from the extended crotch portion and the support element is formed of a material different from that of the leg portions.
 17. The hosiery garment of claim 16, wherein the predetermined distance may range from approximately 1 inch to approximately 4 inches.
 18. The hosiery garment of claim 16, wherein the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions are formed of a same material.
 19. The hosiery garment of claim 16, wherein the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions are formed of a different material from each other.
 20. The hosiery garment of claim 17, wherein the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions are formed of a cotton material or cotton/Lycra blend or any stretch material.
 21. The hosiery garment of claim 17, wherein the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions are formed of a knitted material having an open mesh stitching to facilitate air flow through the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions and to control moisture.
 22. The hosiery garment of claim 16, wherein at least one of the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions is formed of a knitted material having an open mesh stitching to facilitate air flow through the extended crotch portion and the plurality of thigh portions and to control moisture.
 23. A hosiery garment including: a plurality of detached leg portions, each leg portion comprising: a band portion at an upper part of a respective leg portion, and a thigh portion extending vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment, wherein the band portion and the thigh portion are formed of a material different from that of the leg portion.
 24. A hosiery garment comprising: a body portion and a plurality of leg portions to be worn by a user; and a support element comprising: a plurality of thigh portions integrally combined with or spaced a predetermined distance from a crotch portion of the hosiery garment, each thigh portion extending vertically along a respective inner thigh area of the hosiery garment, wherein the thigh portions are formed of a material different from that of the leg portions. 